by Christy Egan

Arabian horse racing in America is at a crossroads. At the major tracks where the Arabians race in Delaware, California, Texas, Colorado, Michigan and elsewhere, the Arabian has become an accepted breed, part of the pari-mutuel betting system, and often a favorite with the betting public. The entire sport is poised for a bright tomorrow. The support and purse money are there, funded by the local betting public, OTB, slot machines and other sources. The economics of involvement are inviting, and the real need for more horse entries and owners has created a warm and welcoming atmosphere for newcomers at the track and among already involved trainers and owners.
Worldwide, the entire industry is on the brink of great growth. There have been several contributing factors: the reinstatement of registry agreements with WAHO; American racing cooperation with IFAHA (International Federation of Arabian Horse Racing) in France; a global upswing in interest in Arabian racing, particularly in Europe and the Middle East; a growth in purses; and an increase in the value of Arabian racehorses. In short, there has never been a better time to get involved.

North America’s Place In The World Of Arabian Racing

Arabian racing has taken a backseat to show horses in North America for years, but forces are gathering that may finally change all of that for Arabian racing. At Longchamps Race Course in Paris this October, Arabians have a race on the same card as Thoroughbreds competing for millions. Prize money for the Arabians is set at more than a half-million dollars. Also in France, the Arabian racing sire Dahess brought more than $1.6 million dollars at public auction last September. In the Middle East, Amer (the sire of Dahess) is fully subscribed for 2008, with bookings capped at 50 mares at $25,000 per service fee. Meanwhile, American Arabian racing bloodlines are again coming into strong demand worldwide.
Historically, the Arabian was the world’s racehorse of choice for thousands of years, and it is still raced in many countries internationally. Some have always raced Arabian horses, and for them, the Thoroughbred is the newcomer. Others, such as Poland, originally brought the Arabian horse home from the desert to utilize as a war horse. Even before the Polish Arabian became obsolete in cavalry following the two World Wars, the Poles had decided that racing Arabians was an ideal method for testing and proving quality.
Arabian racing in Europe and the Middle East is well established. Among the dozen or more countries that race Arabians, there is literally somewhere to race all year. The first formal American Arabian race of the last century was held on November 11, 1959, at Laurel Race Course in Maryland. It was a two-and-a-half mile exhibition race won by Mrs. William (Tish) Hewitt’s Ofir. Soon afterward, Arabian horses were invited to race at tracks in Florida and Chicago.
Between 1959 and 1961, 13 Arabian races were held, and during the 1960s there were numerous races in California, Nevada, Oregon, and Idaho. By the mid-1960s, the U.S. National Arabian Show included an Arabian race and the title of National Champion Arabian Racehorse. The early 1970s brought the involvement of the man who was to become American Arabian racing’s greatest advocate, Dr. Sam Harrison. Dr. Sam and his wife, Bettye, were important fixtures at all of the major events until his death in 1997. Certainly Harrison was a solid part of the reason why the focus of Arabian racing shifted from the West to the East in 1979. Sam Harrison was an important part of the formation of the Arabian Jockey Club (AJC) in 1985 and the Arabian Racing Cup (ARC), the organization that controls the annual Arabian Cup races and created the Darley Awards in 1987. Sam Harrison was the first Darley Breeder of the Year, and horses of his breeding and bloodlines have since won numerous Darley awards.
Today, American Arabian racing functions like Thoroughbred or Quarter Horse racing. There are annual meets at race tracks around the country. Currently, the track with the most action is Delaware Park. With 80 owners and around 180 horses racing, Delaware will have about 150 races for Arabian horses in 2008, with purses totaling more than $1.9 million. Los Alamitos in California is second, with 120 races and $860,168 in purses (2007 figures). There are about 286 owners racing Arabian horses in America, with 561 horses running in 465 races per year. Total annual purses equal in excess of $4.1 million. Races pay to fifth place and sometimes to all finishers. Only major stake races have entry fees. Does the American betting public like Arabians? Apparently. Last year they spent more than $40 million dollars betting on them.
Arabian racing is strictly controlled by the individual states in which it functions, and this provides it with a legitimate structure and a proven, no-nonsense, formal set of rules and bylaws. Trainers, owners, jockeys, even exercise boys, are licensed and answer to a strict board. This association provides access to gambling money for purses that has made racing horses lucrative—potentially very, very lucrative. An Arabian racehorse owner will proudly tell you, “We don’t race for ribbons!” The racehorse world—a world that once appeared so complicated—has become simple. The playing field is already level at the race track, the rules are in place, there are no judges, and the game is explicit: Get from the gate to the finish line in front of the others.

*Kaolino Arrives At Trackside Farm In Florida

After more than a year of careful negotiations, the chestnut Dormane son *Kaolino arrived at Trackside Farm in Florida, just in time for his February 9 party. This is an exciting development for breeders of racing and high-performance Arabians of all disciplines.
“We have high hopes for *Kaolino. He has raced well for five seasons in Europe and the Middle East, with earnings of $313,453,” says trainer Loren Nichols.
“All the Trackside racing partnerships get together this time of year to discuss which horses they will include in their partnership and be racing this year,” he says. “I thought it was a perfect opportunity to present *Kaolino. Around 70 people came to see their friends, their horses and *Kaolino. He arrived at the farm in great shape. He’s nearly 15.3, has lots of speed and should cross well with any dam line in the country. He’s the best Arabian we’ve ever stood here, a great combination of quality Arabian good looks and performance ability. We’re breeding everything to him, and will have his first major foal crop here in 2009.”
Few Arabian race trainers have been more successful at orchestrating Arabian racing partnerships than Loren Nichols.
“Our partnerships really have fun,” says Nichols. “Lasting friendships develop and members of the group mentor each other. When a partnership horse is through racing, the horse comes back to Trackside. If the horse is a flop at the track, we replace it the following year. It’s a winning formula.”
One such partnership is the Coast to Coast group, consisting of 17 owners that live all over the United States. Among their horses is Stars The Limit, winner of the 2007 $75,000 Daughters of the Desert Oaks.
Trackside Farm was named 2006 Darley Breeder of the Year, and the Nichols-trained filly Rolly Polly was the 2007 Darley Four-Year-Old Filly of the Year.

Cre Run Farm to Offer Leading International Sire Dahess

Cre Run Farm has announced that they will be the U.S. representative for one of the world’s greatest living racing Arabians, Dahess.
Dahess is the first Amer son ever to have semen made available in America. A tall, handsome grey Arabian stallion bred by the Umm Qarn Stud in Qatar, Dahess is classified internationally as a leading all-time Arabian money earner, and ranked by IFAHR as the best horse in the world of Arabian racing with LTE (lifetime earnings): 981,957 Euros (more than $1.5 million). Dahess has won races in Qatar, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, France, England, Germany and Italy. In 41 starts he has 28 firsts and 12 seconds.
At the end of January, Cre Run Farm’s Deb Mihaloff was in Paris, representing the Arabian Racing Cup (ARC) at the annual IFAHR meeting. The opportunity arose to see Dahess with friends Val and Stan Bunting.
“Dahess had been purchased by a group of breeders last September at auction for 1,050,000 Euros (more than $1.65 million), an amazing figure,” says Deb. “I found him to be superb. He had the cleanest legs, a wonderful heart girth and withers. There’s a kind, quiet confidence about him, and that visible sense of self that great Arabian horses possess. I’ve been interested in Dahess’s sire, Amer, for some time. My friend Val Bunting is a former manager for Umm Qarn Stud, and as soon as the agreement between WAHO and our registry appeared to be nearing completion, I expressed my interest in representing Amer in the United States. Unfortunately, due to his age and much interest, he was booked solid for 2008. That’s where Val Bunting came in.”
“When Deb told me that it was not possible to import semen from Amer, I thought of Dahess,” says Val. “I thought, why not try for the best Amer son? Jean-Pierre Deroubaix of the French Bloodstock Agency manages Dahess at stud in France. I called him and he thought it a good proposition.”
Dahess joins an elite group of Arabian racing stallions at Cre Run Farm. Senior stallion Sam Tiki raced 21 times in six seasons, with 10 wins, four places (seconds) and three shows (thirds), including six wins and six places in stakes company, for lifetime earnings of $100,989. He is a member of the Arabian Racing Hall of Fame, and sire of four Darley winners. In three years, Genuine Monarch competed in 15 races, with six wins, three places and two shows (four wins and five places in stakes company), for LTE of $120,313. Nivour De Cardonne had six wins in 17 starts, and is a multiple stakes winner; DA Adios accounted for LTE of $622,048, and is the winner of nine graded stakes. He is a five-time Darley Award winner.

Top U.S. Arabian Racing Sire Burning Sand Is First Choice For Leading Qatar Arabian Stud, Al Shahania

In the early 1990s, while hauling horses for Arabian race trainer Lynn Ashby, Todd Moak picked up a young grey Arabian stallion named Burning Sand in Kentucky and brought him east to Delaware Park.
“It was an important race at Delaware, and I had been given a hot tip on the horse I hauled by the folks in Kentucky,” says Todd. “So I gave Lynn Ashby $100 to bet for me on Burning Sand. The horse came in. With the winnings I bought a filly, and that’s how I got into Arabian racing.”
Todd watched from the sidelines as Burning Sand distinguished himself on the track, building an amazing career and setting five track records. Unfortunately, due to a lengthy battle regarding his purebred status, his records were never properly reinstated, though his status as a purebred was upheld by the Arabian Registry. Fortunately for Burning Sand, Todd Moak and his partners Betty and Joe Gillis took up the gauntlet on his behalf.
The first Burning Sand offspring hit the ground running in 1994, and the fourth foal born was Line Dancer, a five-time Darley winner and holder of several track records. Line Dancer’s racing career of 30 starts in four seasons (24 wins, five places), including 17 stakes wins and four stakes places, for LTE: $423,061, was only the tip of the iceberg for Burning Sand. A dozen foals later, the intrepid Aim South was foaled, and stepped into his first winner’s circle in 2004. Aim South’s 2007 race record was nine starts with four wins, three places and one show. That included two stakes wins and three stakes places, for earnings of $99,634. That, combined with decisive victories in the Arabian Cup Sprint (G2) and the Arabian Cup Classic (G1), left no doubt that he was the proper Darley Award choice for 2007 Older Horse of the Year. Burning Sand’s daughter Cath was the 2007 Darley Older Mare of the Year. Big Easy, Sand Tiki Special, Cody James, Cool Sand Luke, Sand Tiki Belle, Sandytiki, Abra Caadabra, By Golly Sand and Walk The Line are some of the stakes winners that have helped make Burning Sand an up-and-coming legend among Arabian racing sires.
After Burning Sand sired his first crop of runners from French-bred Arabian mares, Al Shahania Farm in Doha, Qatar, expressed an interest.
“To avoid close inbreeding, Al Shahania has had to look outside of France for sires of unrelated bloodlines,” says Farm Manager Hannie Maasdijk. “It has chosen the best available—the Saudi-bred horse Amer and the American-bred Burning Sand. For the 2008 breeding season, most of the Al Shahania mares will be bred to these two horses.  Included are a number of Amer daughters and full sisters to noted stakes winners *Kaolino and Royal Atheena.”
“This will be my fourth year of doing business with Europe and the Middle East,” says Todd Moak. “We have shipped Burning Sand semen to Qatar, Israel, France, U.K., and the U.A.E. It’s taken a great deal of hard work. Al Shahania has purchased 50 breedings to Burning Sand for the 2008 season, and I will be representing their top stallions Parador and Djendel, a full brother to the leading French Arabian sire Dormane, in America.”
Moak notes that Burning Sand brings substance, longevity and soundness to the French cross, and says that his offspring “possess good tactical speed, and can run short and long.”
In 2006 and 2007, Burning Sand was America’s leading sire of Arabian racing winners. His progeny have won more than $2.5 million on the track to date.

Arabian Racing At American Tracks

There are a number of diverse racing choices for Arabian horses in America. The two largest race tracks are on opposite coasts. The first, Delaware Park, is the country’s top track that runs Arabian horses. Arabians in the West race at Los Alamitos in Los Angeles, as well as the popular fair circuit in Northern California. Texas racing starts at the first of the year near Houston, at Sam Houston Race Park, moves up to Retama Park in San Antonio for the late spring and early fall, and closes the year with several months at Lone Star Park near Dallas. Colorado Arabian racing is in the summer at Arapahoe Park, near Denver, and Michigan also races during the summer season at the Mount Pleasant track in central Michigan. There is racing elsewhere, but these are the most established. At each of the racing meets, there is a different group of trainers and owners with a variety of hopes, dreams and plans for the future of Arabian racing in America.

Racing With The Big Guys At Delaware

Delaware Park’s racing season runs from mid-April through the first week in November. The purses are good and Arabian racehorses are guaranteed at least one race per day. Delaware Park, which has been supportive of Arabian racing since the mid-1980s, has been in operation since the 1930s, and its ambiance is similar to Saratoga’s. The saddling paddock is beautiful, with giant shade trees, flowers and grass, and the management is forward-thinking, spending much time renovating the charming older facilities. There are plans for a new, world class hotel and additional gambling. In 2007, $2 million was paid in Arabian racing purses and $18 million wagered on Arabian racehorses at Delaware Park alone.
Delaware Park is home to America’s best known Arabian racing trainers, beginning with Bill Waldron, winner of six Darley Awards in 2007, including both Trainer and Owner of the Year.
“I’ve done about everything you can do with a horse,” says Waldron, “from rodeo to working cattle. Racing is the most exciting, beneficial and rewarding thing a man can do with a horse. If a newcomer asks me about racing Arabians, I tell them to check on the horses that are running the best and look for those bloodlines. That’s what I do. If a horse can outrun mine, I consider those bloodlines. The smartest way to get started in Arabian racing is probably to find a trainer that you trust and ‘claim’ a horse, instead of taking a big gamble on young, unproven stock.”
Claiming is an established racing tradition that is foreign to most Arabian owners. A claiming horse is trained and currently running. There are specific races for the practice, with set prices at which the entrants may be ‘claimed’ by new owners. To claim a horse, an owner must work with a trainer, as only trainers are allowed to claim horses.
Claiming is something for which Bill Waldron is currently the talk of the town. In 2007, he claimed a French and Egyptian-bred colt named Our Machine. Bred by Cre Run Enterprises, Our Machine won his first start, and then ran in a $20,000 claiming race. Bill saw the colt’s potential and put in a claim slip. Our Machine had an exceptional 2007 season at Delaware Park, winning five races in seven starts, including three stakes, and nearly $60,000. The colt was named AJC’s “Claim of the Year,” and won the Three-Year-Old Colt Darley Award.
“Right now Arabian racing needs to move forward with a bright and positive attitude, says Waldron. “As for me, I love what I do. At my age, I’m still game for anything exciting.”
One of the best known and lauded Arabian race trainers at Delaware is Lynn Ashby. Lynn has won the Darley Award for Trainer of the Year six times since 1994, more than any other trainer. She came from endurance racing, and had her first racehorse in 1981.
 “The Arabian racing business has changed a lot in 25 years,” she says. “Once owners tried to race show horses and breed to popular stallions. Now we breed stake winners to stake winners. Breeding is critical. Speed and the ability to run are very inheritable traits.
“There’s many ways to get started in racing. You can beat the bushes and find one, you can claim one, or you can be a part of a partnership. In the East, we have the EARA (Eastern Arabian Racing Association) that puts people in touch with active Arabian racing trainers and owners. Racehorse owners often come from the show world. Barbara Chur of Strawberry Banks Farm is currently racing several horses with me. Hers are leased from Alan Kirschner and Deb Mihaloff at Cre Run Farm.
“The best part of racing is watching a young horse mature and then understand the idea of racing. I love it when they first get it. You can see it in their eyes as they run down the competition. I have seen riders fall off of their mounts after the finish line and watched the Arabian calmly walk back to the winner’s circle alone for the picture.”
Hal and Margo Wallace have horses with Ashby. They own the highly respected Valour Farms in Smyrna, Del., and stand two noted racing Arabian sires, Dreams of Valor and Patriot Missle. From 1981 until the mid-1990s, they bred straight Egyptian Arabians and competed at the Egyptian Event.
Over the last decade Hal and Margo have sold horses to Morocco, Belgium, England, Australia and Qatar. Hal’s advice to newcomers is to find a partner, a mentor or a guardian angel. He has kind words for his trainer.
“Lynn Ashby is a true horseman,” says Wallace. “Horses always come first with her. I trust her implicitly. For us, this business is all about having a passion for the horses. For the love of a horse, Margo and I have been around the world and met kings.”
Some of the most successful Arabian racing partnerships have been orchestrated by Delaware-based trainer Loren Nichols. Terry Andreasen got started in Arabian racing via a partnership, and has nothing but positive comments. “The cost for training a racehorse is affordable,” says Terry, “and comparable to training a show horse. There’s no charge to enter regular races, just the stakes. There are many $5,000, $10,000 and $15,000 races, and the stake races go from $25,000 up to $100,000. Races pay the owners through five places, and some pay the entire field.”
In 2007 Terry Andreasen was named Darley New Owner of the Year. One of his partnership involvements is with Southern Arabian Racing, a group that also had a great 2007, and began 2008 on a high note when one of their mares, Stars The Limit, won the Daughters of the Desert Oaks.
No story about Arabian racing would be complete without including Dianne Waldron. Considered to be one of the most successful Arabian racing owners and breeders, Dianne began her racing career in Florida.
“I started in competitive endurance,” says Dianne. “That all changed at a Florida seminar I attended put on by Robert Van Hoose and Sam Harrison. “It included the racing trainer’s license test, which I took and passed. My three endurance horses and I then went to the track. Each of them won a race, and I was hooked.”
Dianne’s Rosebrook Farm owns and stands the Triple Crown winner and 2005 Horse of the Year, TH Richie, and his sire, *Calin du Loup.
For those looking to get into Arabian racing, Dianne offers this advice. “Do a lot of homework, start with what you can afford, and keep trying to do better. Get a good 3-year-old ready to go, and enjoy racing. Have fun right away. Once you’ve seen your horse come across the finish line first, you’ll know what this is all about.” 

Los Alamitos And The California Fair Circuit

Last year 229 Arabian horses ran in 178 races in the state of California for over $1.2 million dollars in purses. Los Alamitos hosted 120 of the races, and the remaining races were run out on the fair circuit in Northern California. The Los Alamitos season runs all year and is televised on cable. The Arabian Racing Association of California (ARAC) is the recognized breed organization for Arabians in California and directs the Cal-Breds, an incentive awards program provided by state law to promote the horse racing industry in California. Like most horse racing all over the United States, the money wagered on horse racing generates the cash awards in this program.
Arabian racing enthusiasts at the Los Alamitos track depend on the dedicated, knowledgeable and energetic Jay Corcoran as their Arabian breed representative.
“I got into racing in 1986 on the California Fair circuit,” Jay says. “Now I am at Los Alamitos, and every entry day I am in the office working to fill the Arabian races.”
Jay feels that it would be good for Arabian racing at this juncture to have a national forum that really listened to the various racing associations and offered serious help.
“I think there is a real opportunity now for all of us to gather together and grow racing as a group,” says Jay.
Arabian racing advocates Helen and Warren Shelley have been nominated for Darley Awards and have been leading California trainers for years.
“When Town and Country and Trackside decided to sell a great many horses we took a truck, went across the country to Florida and started buying and hauling back and forth,” Helen says. “It was the opportunity of a lifetime. We bought 60 horses and then we bought more. We usually have around 13 or 14 horses racing at Los Alamitos at all times. We race all year there—Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. The California Fair Circuit runs June 25th through October 13th. There are eight fairs, and we drive to all of them. Most have half-mile tracks, what they call ‘bull rings.’ There are about 10 or 12 trainers that travel like gypsies to the fairs, though some just come up from Los Alamitos for the larger stake races. We can run one or two races every day of every fair.
“One of the best deals Arabian racing has in California is the Cal-Bred Program,” Helen notes. “There is a one-time $25 nomination fee per horse if you do it within a year of the horse’s birth. Cal-Bred money is a bonus on top of the purse. The Cal-Bred payout varies with the ‘handle.’ Last time I looked there were 10 horses splitting $55,000. Not bad for a $25 investment.”
Not all of the best California horses have owners that live in California. Don and Vivienne Dates make their home in Las Vegas, Nev. Their horse Walk The Line set a track record running in the $75,000 Drinkers of the Wind Derby at Los Alamitos in January. Covering the 6-furlong distance in 1:17 4/5, Walk The Line broke the previous race record, came in an impressive nine lengths in front, and was the first California horse to win the race in eight years.
“I told Otto [the jockey] to go for the lead, make two left turns and don’t look back,” says trainer Charles Treece laughing.
“We just started racing Arabians a few years ago,” says Vivienne Dates. “We really wanted to do something more competitive than showing. We think racing brings out a horse’s full potential.”
Don and Vivienne Dates were the California 2007 Owners of the Year and won 2007 Older Horse/Gelding too. Don was also recently voted to the Board of Directors for ARAC. The Dates own and race both Arabians and Thoroughbreds.
Some of the best advice for newcomers interested in getting involved with Arabian racing comes from California-based Race Street Management, Inc., and Denise Gault.
Denise has been seriously involved with Arabian horses since 1979.
“It’s a fascinating, rewarding sport,” says Denise. “My involvement with the Arabian horse has been a labor of love. Partnerships are an excellent way to get introduced to the sport, but people need to do their homework carefully and choose the right farm and owner.”
Race Street represents two of the most important and influential Arabian stud farms in the world: Shadwell and Darley. Recently, Darley has been cutting down its Arabian numbers in this country, making it possible for new buyers to avail themselves of well-bred horses at economical prices.
“It’s a great time to get involved with Arabian racing,” says Denise. “The Middle East is turning back to America for their racing bloodlines.”

Texas And Colorado—TABA And COBRA

Though Texas and Colorado racing have their own distinctive style and meets, they are very symbiotic. Texas has a full schedule of Arabian racing throughout the year, and there is a current struggle to add more races on a day-to-day basis. Four tracks will host Arabian racing in Texas this year: Sam Houston (Houston), Retama (San Antonio), Lone Star (Dallas) and Manor Downs (Austin for 3 days only). Colorado will race at Arapahoe Park (Denver) from May 24th through August 10th on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, and there’s a special card on Memorial Day Monday as well. All of the tracks run some mix of Quarter Horse, Thoroughbred and Arabian racing. There are about two races per week in Texas and three in Colorado. This year at the Darley Awards, the Colorado Arabian Racing Association (COBRA) received a 2007 Performance Award for Arabian Race Meet of the Year. The smallest of all the above discussed Arabian racing groups, Colorado showed the most improvement and growth, going from 26 races and $150,000 in purses in 2006, to 37 races and just under $250,000 in 2007. In 2008 two major stake races are scheduled for June 21st and 22nd, and COBRA will host an ARC Weekend August 9th and 10th with two $20,000 races—the Soaring Eagle Arabians Cup Distaff on Saturday and the Rocky Mountain Arabian Cup on Sunday.
“We worked very hard as a group to improve our meet,” says Arabian racing trainer and COBRA Vice President Kathy Vinson. “We added stakes, doubled stakes money, took our races up to a one race per day average (with two races on some days), and tried to add variety to the type of races offered. With 105 Arabian horses (70 actually started) we had to work to fill races and consequently held trainers’ meetings once each week. So, we knew what horses we had ready and what kind of races we could fill. I think that 2008 will be easily as good as 2007, but in 2009 we are looking for a banner year with more races, more horses and higher purses.”
Every July, Arapahoe Park and COBRA hosts an “Arabian Day At The Races.” There is usually a good turnout and lots of interest in racing Arabians, but Colorado trainer Bobby Hawkins says there wasn’t much follow-up.
“We needed to try to help people get their horses to the track,” Bobby says. “They didn’t know how to begin. I asked Kathy Vinson to do some seminars with me to assist and mentor people in training their own Arabians for racing. We contacted people and got the first meeting together in January, 2008.”
“We’ve been holding these seminars once a month,” Kathy notes. “In March we went out to Soaring Eagle Ranch south of Denver where Ray and Jane Teutsch were kind enough to let us use their facilities. We’ll do two seminars in April to get ready for the May track opening.”
Kathy and Bobby do the seminars for free to encourage new trainers and owners. It’s a fine example of a small, effective grass-roots mentoring program.
The ranch where many Hawkins/Vinson Seminars are held belongs to Ray Teutsch and his wife, Jane. The Teutschs have ranches in both Texas and Colorado and actively race their horses in both states.
“My wife, Jane, started the Arabian business 28 years ago. She was one of the founders of COBRA in the early 1980s,” says Ray Teutsch, “We recently purchased our first breeding stallion, the French-bred Djet Set De Falgas. He has broken or equaled several track records, and he will be racing in 2008. His first foals for us are two fillies out of Monarch AH daughters.”
Ray has always been seriously involved in getting legislation passed to help Arabian racing. He is the current president of COBRA and the vice president of TABA (Texas Arabian Breeders Association).
One of the best-known Arabian racing breeders in Texas is Michelle Morgan of Mandolynn Hill Farm. Like many Arabian racing owners, Michelle started with show horses and purchased her first Arabian racehorse in 1993. Mandolynn Hill has over 100 horses, stands 11 stallions and keeps 12 to 14 horses in race training.
“There are two questions that people ask me constantly,” says Michelle. “Are Arabian horses good for anything else after they race? Yes. When Arabian horses race, they are exposed to everything—noise, traffic, cars, dogs, strange horses, the track, the starting gate. They can undertake any athletic endeavor for which they’re suited after they have finished their racing career. Are they mistreated by the trainers at the track? No. Arabian racehorse trainers treat their horses wonderfully. Unhappy horses don’t win races.”
Texas Arabian racing breeders Dan and Claudia Spears started out trail riding Arabians. They own a 20-acre Arabian breeding farm an hour north of Houston.
“Arabian horse racing is by far the most rewarding sport that is also a business,” says Claudia.
The Spears and another couple formed the North Star Racing Partnership. They claim horses or bid on them at auction.
“The partnership is named for our first North Star Racing partnership horse, Nordik Star,” says Claudia. “We bought him at a Texas Auction from Town and Country. He has been a great success for us with a sterling record of 4/35(7-10-8).”
The Spears-bred and owned DC Willful Spirit recently won the Texas Yellow Rose Stake (G2). DC Willful Spirit has already won two races in 2008 and has earnings of over $40,000. Dan and Claudia Spears run their horses at all four of the major Arabian venues: Texas, Colorado, Delaware and California. They’re involved with the Racing Committee for the Arabian Jockey Club and serve on the Board for TABA.
Few people in Texas Arabian racing are bigger advocates of the sport than Ken and Nancy Blewett of Rancho Milagro Yegua. In the few short years they’ve been involved with racing, these two have done remarkably well. Among their winners, either as total owner or in partnership, are multi-stakes and Darley Award winner, Rolly Polly; Daughters of the Desert Oaks winner, Stars The Limit; Five-time stakes winner, Tour De France; and multi-stakes winner and Darley Award winner, The Last Danse.
“You don’t go into Arabian racing for the money,” Nancy laughs. “We’re here to have fun. You can achieve much success in this business very quickly. We did.”
“You can get involved in a number of simple, cost-effective ways,” says Nancy. “You can lease a racehorse where you pay 100% of the expenses and take home 80% of the winnings. With partnerships you pay a fee up front and you pay 100% of the expenses, but you take home 100% of the money too. Some people get started by bidding at the annual TABAAuction. It’s best to do that with a mentor or a trusted trainer, but it’s a great place to pick up a good horse.”
For over 10 years the Texas Association has been holding an Annual April Racehorse Auction in San Antonio. Texas feels that the auction has helped boost their number of participating racing owners. It’s a great place to learn a lot about Arabian racehorses and bloodstock.

The ARAB Of Michigan

Michigan Arabian horse racing is at one track, Mount Pleasant Meadows. The track offers mixed-breed racing with Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse, Arabian, Paint and Appaloosa races on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from the first week in May until the end of September. The track is a half-mile “bull ring” similar to the fair circuit tracks and lends itself to sprint horses and 4.5 to 6 furlong races. Local Michigan trainer Nicole Holst of R & N Training believes the track has its place in the Arabian racing industry.
“It’s a great place to get horses started inexpensively and find out what you’ve got,” Nicole says. “I have about 25 horses in training, and 75% of them are from other states. We find out what they’ve got here and get them running. Then, if they’re big time sprinters they go to California. The best of the best go to Delaware. In Michigan we race on Saturdays and Sundays and fill up to three races a weekend—or as many as we can. Between 80 and 100 horses race at Mount Pleasant during the meet and there’s a dozen trainers.”
Nicole Holst has been the top ranked Arabian racing trainer in the state of Michigan for at least the last two years, and was ranked among the top 15 Arabian race trainers nationally (as of September, 2007).
Joyce and Tom Fritz have been involved with racing Arabians at their Hickory Lane Farm since the mid 1980s, first on the fair circuit and then when it opened at the Mount Pleasant track.
“We have 25 horses, about three foals per year, and we run almost exclusively in Michigan,” says Tom. “We breed to outside stallions and sell a few locally and a few out of state. Once upon a time we bred Arabians for stamina, racing ability and type. Then the French Arabians arrived; well, if you want to stay in the game you’ve got to play the game. So, we breed that way now. We take our youngsters down to Loren Nichols in Florida when they’re long 2-year-olds and he decides which ones will run.”
“There’s only one way to go with Arabian racing now. We need more Arabian horses,” Tom says. “We have to breed them, raise them and get them out there racing.”